Memories of Murder (2003)

First, I want to say that this is not a horror movie. It is a suspenseful drama that deals with murder. I am talking about it here because I, as a fan of horror, am interested in the subject of murder and enjoy things that deal with murder and serial killers and the like. This movie will not scare you or offer gruesome deaths that titillate; however, it will at times make you hold your breath and wince at the details of the deaths. Very simply - if you want a guy in a mask killing teenagers, this movie isn't for you; but if you like stories involving death and killing, you might enjoy this.

Memories of Murder is a 2003 South Korean film that is based on a true story. It starts in 1986 and shows detectives trying to find a serial killer who kills and rapes women on rainy nights. Since this is the 80s, and Korea, the detectives don't have a lot to work with. There's no DNA testing and no long list of possible suspects. Also, some of the detectives are incompetent and try to beat confessions out of innocent people, as if they only care about catching a culprit and not stopping the crimes.

The first half of the movie will probably make you laugh a bit. How can you not laugh when a detective stakes out a bathhouse, searching for men with shaved pubes because no pubic hair has been found at any of the crime scenes? But after an hour or so, things change, and there is no humor at all. It's as if the severity of what's been going on hits the director and the audience. No jokes, nothing even slightly humorous - just the cold, hard fact that every time they fail, another woman dies. That is when the movie really gets good (not to say that the first half is bad, just not as good as the second half). The intrigue of the case, the graphic details of the deaths, and the finding of a suspect that has to be guilty, they all lead to a satisfying conclusion that doesn't explain everything but is still a damn good ending. You might not like the facts that come with the ending, but you cannot say anything bad about the way the movie itself ends.

Like I said above, if you want a slasher or something gory or horrifying, this isn't the movie to watch. But if you enjoy hearing about murder cases and true crime mysteries, this is a great movie with few flaws.